


It's Okay to Ask Me to Stay

by mokuhchi



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Caleb Widogast Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Caleb Widogast Needs a Hug, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mutual Pining, Not Beta Read, Only Kinda Tho, Trauma, widomauk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2020-10-07
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:47:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26873914
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mokuhchi/pseuds/mokuhchi
Summary: Mollymauk knew something was wrong. It wasn’t that Caleb was acting all that different- he was always aloof. Always preferring the comfort of a room by himself in the lodging while the rest of the group sat at the bar drinking and laughing- a sour attempt of trying to hide the horrors of each of their pasts and nightmares they witnessed earlier that day.Maybe Molly’s suspicion rose from the fact he seemed a little more quieter than usual, clinging onto his jacket as if it was a safety jacket keeping him afloat in the middle of the sea. Or maybe it was that he seemed to have eaten just a little bit less than normal. It could have even possibly been that his hands seemed to shake just a little bit more than usual, threatening to topple liquids from his cup every time he went to take a drink.No matter the reason, Molly knew something was wrong. He could feel his heart aching for Caleb, and he couldn’t quite pinpoint why.
Relationships: Mollymauk Tealeaf/Caleb Widogast
Comments: 7
Kudos: 77





	It's Okay to Ask Me to Stay

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was requested by, and is also dedicated to, the amazing @CasuallyQuirkyCosplays on IG! Definitely check him out! His Percy and Caleb are amazing and he's just generally pretty great. Also this is my first time writing for Critical Role so sorry if this is OOC at all!

Mollymauk knew something was wrong. It wasn’t that Caleb was acting all that different- he was always aloof. Always preferring the comfort of a room by himself in the lodging while the rest of the group sat at the bar drinking and laughing- a sour attempt of trying to hide the horrors of each of their pasts and nightmares they witnessed earlier that day. 

Maybe Molly’s suspicion rose from the fact he seemed a little more quieter than usual, clinging onto his own coat as if it were a safety jacket keeping him afloat in the middle of the sea. Or maybe it was that he seemed to have eaten just a little bit less than normal. It could have even possibly been that his hands seemed to shake just a little bit more than usual, threatening to topple liquids from his cup every time he went to take a drink. 

No matter the reason, Molly knew something was wrong. He could feel his heart aching for Caleb, and he couldn’t quite pinpoint why. 

After Molly had eaten and drank enough to satisfy Beau’s suspicion, he quietly excused himself from the group. Yasha eyed him as he waved and smiled his good nights, but he soothed her unsaid qualms when he offered a sincere flash of pearly whites followed by a flick of his tail. Mollymauk walked up the stairs, his tail swishing behind him, and knocked on the door of the room Caleb and Nott were to stay the night in. He wasn’t planning on staying for long, just to offer a hand, a hug, and then retreat to his bed. 

But once he knocked on the door and saw the painfully familiar expression of pain and pure loss, he felt the need to immediately engulf him in a hug. So engulf he did.

“Molly? What are you doing?”

“Giving you a hug. You looked like you needed it.” Molly pulled away, “Are you okay? You look a bit…” his gaze trailed up and down the man in front of him, “distant.” Caleb seemed shocked for a moment, but the change in his demeanor was so slight Molly almost felt like he had imagined it. 

“Can I come in?” Molly asked. Caleb didn’t respond, just moved to the side and proceeded to close the door after Molly entered. Caleb walked back over to the bed where Frumpkin lay curled into his discarded coat. Molly followed, sitting at the end of the bed and offering his hand for Frumpkin to sniff. She nuzzled into the tiefling causing Molly to offer a smile.

“She probably likes that you're warm.” Caleb mumbled with a slight soft smile. Molly chuckled.

“Caleb,” the other boy's eyes snapped up at the sound of his name, “are you okay?” Molly said with pure sincerity in his voice. Caleb swallowed, compulsively pulling down his sleeves and reaching to pet Frumpkin.

“Why do you ask, Mollymauk?”

“You’ve just seemed...distant. Like you’re just looking through everyone.” Molly grasped for words, “It’s hard to explain but...I know.” Caleb turned away at the vague reminder of Molly’s past. “I just want to make sure you’re okay.” Molly ducked his head in an attempt to regain eye contact as he hesitantly placed his hand on top of Caleb’s. The red-head almost immediately pulled his hand away as if on instinct, or out of panic. Frumpkin meowed between them, appearing slightly disgruntled with the lack of pets coming from the both of them.

“Sorry.” Caleb said, presumably for pulling his hand away but he made no attempt to put his hand in reach of Molly’s again. 

“You don’t need to tell me what’s bothering you, it’s okay. I just wanted you to know that I’m here for you. I know what it feels like to be...alone. Feel like you have no one to turn to. And I just want you to know you have me. And if you don’t want to confide in me, which is okay, you have Nott. And Beau. and Fjord. And Jester. And Yasha. We’re all here for you.” Molly offered a small smile as he stood up, “I’ll leave you alone if you’d like. You know where I am if you need anything.” He began to make his way to the door when he heard a small voice behind him.

“Danke, Mollymauk. Thank you.”

“It’s Molly to my friend.” They both smiled at those words, even if his heart did hurt just a little bit with that word. Caleb began to open and closed his mouth, skewing his mouth and eyes shut as if in pain.

“Can you...stay? Just for a little bit?” It came out as a whisper. Molly looked back at Caleb. He was looking at the ground, a pink so faint he almost thought it wasnt there at all, dusted his cheeks and neck. Molly answered by unlacing and unceremoniously kicking off his boots as he sat on the bed perpendicular to the headboard and reclined against the wall.

“It was...a long time ago. When I was younger I…” Caleb trailed off. His pupils seemed to dilate in fear as his hands began to violently shake. 

“Hey! It’s okay! You don’t need to talk about it. It’s okay-” Mollymauk reached to place his hand on Caleb’s shoulder in an act of grounding, but the human unexpectedly created a small fire in his hand and slapped away the tiefling’s comforts. Caleb’s hair began to rise as if defying gravity or like he was underwater as it always did when he was doing magic, but he quickly realized what he had done and retreated within himself. 

“Es tut mir leid, habe ich dich verletzt?” Caleb asked, a look of panic in his eyes.

“I’m okay, Caleb. Tiefling, remember? Fire resistance?” He smirked as he flicked his tail and pointed to his purple face and elaborately decorated horns. “Also I don’t speak Zemnian.”

“Es tut uns leid- er, sorry. I was asking if you were okay and if I hurt you but..” Caleb gestured to Mollymauk’s...everything, insinuating he was aware logically it did not affect him due to his hellish species origins. Molly chuckled, but quickly turned serious again.

“Caleb, it’s okay. You’re safe right now. You can be scared, you're being scared is real, but what you’re scared of is not. As in, you’re not in danger. You’re safe. Your fear is real but the danger is not. It’s okay.” Caleb gave a curt nod in response. Molly shifted on the bed, bringing himself next to Caleb. “I can tell you a story about my time in the circus if you want.”

“Sure. Danke. Thank you.”

Caleb eventually fell asleep on Molly’s shoulder, listening to the sound of his voice telling whimsical stories of a time before they met. “I’m still glad I met you though.” Molly whispered to no one in particular as Caleb had fallen asleep quite a bit ago. Molly placed a kiss on the other’s forehead, a soft gesture he used to attempt to convey all he felt. Caleb, apparently only half asleep, reached for his hand in response, squeezing it tight.

They fell asleep that night with hands holding and hearts heavy with love they did not know the other felt. They tried to convey unspoken words through lulled breaths and nightmares that seemed just a tad more manageable with the other by their side, despite the horrors still being there. 

They slept in love. 

**Author's Note:**

> Again, this is not beta read. I'll read over this in the morning and correct any mistakes I may have made so sorry for anything that was incorrect! And again, this was my first time writing for Critical Role so I'm sorry if this is a little bit out of character.
> 
> Thank you for reading!  
> Comments, kudos, constructive criticism, and all that jazz is always appreciated :)  
> ~ Mocha
> 
> ★Find me on my Writing Tumblr at mokuhchi-manuscripts.tumblr.com (where I take requests) or on my Main at creativiteaa.tumblr.com★


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